Container tie-down apparatus



May 6, 1969 A. T. GAGLIONE ET AL 3,442,480

CONTAINER TIE-DowN APPARATUS Filed March ll, 1966 72A g y 59") lf j g #j prf: /75/7 7 Z j y y A 1 ,f l f g77-V fl 4 I, A. y"

United States Patent Office 3,442,480 Patented May 6, 1969 U.S. Cl. 248-361 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An insert adapted for attachment to the exposed up wardly facing surface of a support and an achor fixture removably coupled thereto for securing a container in non-shifting relation relative to the support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Commercial cargo carriers, such as ships, frequently utilize their flush decks for freight haulage by removably coupling thereto a container laden with cargo. Some carriers employ a container fastening system having a plurality of spaced parallel tracks which are fastened to the surface of the cargo support structure. The container once positioned between the tracks, is then lashed to the tracks by the use of various tie-down designs. Yet still other carriers employ fastening systems similar to that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,125,965.

In positioning containerized cargo on the deck of a ship, it is desirable to maintain the deck free of obstacles so that unobstructive movement of the container may be safely accomplished with a minimum amount of effort, time and labor. The present invention eliminates the common disadvantage found in both types of fastening systems mentioned hereinabove; namely, the upward projection of the fixed anchor fixture from the surface of the cargo supporting structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, the invention encompasses an anchor fixture used in combination with a deck insert to secure a cargo container in non-shifting relation to a support. The insert comprises a receptacle disposed in a depression of the support and includes a top wall having its outer surface substantially flush with the exposed surface of the support. The top wall is provided with a slot having an enlarged oblong portion at one end. The anchor fixture comprises an upper and lower body member. With the anchor fixture in coupled relation with the insert, the upper member projects above the support and is provided with gathering means adapted for guiding the container into seating relation with the support. The lower member is defined as a shank having a cross head at its free end. The shank is receivable in the slot and has a length extending in the direction of the slot of greater dimension than the width of the slot to thereby dispose said gathering means in a fixed predetermined position relative to the support. The cross head has a configuration corresponding to that of the oblong portion of the slot, but somewhat smaller in size in order that it may be inserted through the enlarged o'blong portion of the slot into the interior of the receptacle. Upon movement of the shank fully into the slot, the cross head is disposed in underlying relation to the top wall of the receptacle to thereby secure the anchor fixture rvertically to the support.

2 DESCRIPTION OF 'I'HE DRAWINGS In the drawing in respect to which this invention is described:

FIG. l is a fragmentary side elevation in vertical crosssection, taken along line I-I of FIG. 2, illustrating an insert attached to a support, and an anchor fixture removably coupled to the insert for receiving a corner of a container.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end view in vertical crosssection, taken along line II-II of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the anchor fixture and insert, with the container removed, taken along line III-III of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinally and laterally shortened plan view of a support and a container secured thereto in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of another type of anchor member modified in accordance with the invention.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in FIG. 1 an anchor fixture 2 is shown removably coupled to a deck insert 3 that is rigidly attached, as by welding, to an upwardly facing surface 4 of a support 5, such as the flush deck of a ship, to fasten a cargo container 6 in non-shifting relation to the support 5.

Anchor fixture 2 comprises an upper body portion 7 having front, rear and lateral sides 8, l9 and 1li- 10, respectively, extending upwardly from a bearing platel 11 having an uppersurface 12 and an undersurfaee 13. The top of the body is similar to a pyramid having faces 16-16 and 17-17 defined by a pair of congruent triangles.

Vertex 19 of the pyramid lies in a vertical plane that contains the longitudinal axis of the plate 11. A lower member 20 extends downwardly from undersurface 13 in the lengthwise direction of plate 11 and is symmetrically contained in the vertical plane.

Lower member 20 comprises an oblong-shaped shank 21 in horizontal cross section having an oblong-shaped cross head 22 q'oined to its free end. The cross head extends in the lengthwise direction of the shank and is of greater lateral dimension than the thickness of the shank to thereby define a pair of grooves 23-23 having coplanar surfaces 24-24 in vertical spaced relation to undersurface 13 of plate 11.

Deck insert 3 comprises an elongated receptacle portion 30 having a bottom wall 31 and spaced parallel side and end walls 32-32 and 33-33, respectively, that project upwardly from the edges of bottom wall 31 to form a chamber 35 therebetween. Aflixed to the upper ends of the side and end walls there is disposed a top wall 36 having an uppersurface 37. A slot 38 having at one end an enlarged oblong portion 39, arranged with its major axis in line with the axis of the chamber 35, is provided in top wall 36 midway between side walls 32- 32. The oblong portion is further defined as having its transverse dimension of a length substantially corresponding to the transverse dimension between side walls 32-32 and slightly greater than the oblong-shaped cross head in the direction of its minor axis. Top wall 36 extends longitudinally and laterally outwardly from the side and end walls to define a peripheral flange 40 having a downwardly facing surface 41.

FIG. 4 illustrates in plan view the manner in which a plurality of inserts 3 are securely arranged in a plan contour on the support 5 to thereby provide the necessary structure for receiving and positioning a plurality of anchor fixtures 2 cauable of fastening a cargo container 6 to the support 5. In practicing the invention, each insert is disposed in a circumjacent aperture 45 in the support. A recessed portion 46 in the support, adjacent the aperture, defines the upwardly facing surface 4 upon which the downwardly facing surface 41 of the fiange 40 is adapted to rest and to which surface the fiange is welded. The thickness of the flange and depth of the shoulder correspond so that the uppersurface 37 of the insert lies in the general plane of the support 5. This structural arrangement provides the Support with an obstacle-free planar surface capable of permitting safe unobstructive movement of personnel and materialhandling pier equipment.

Prior to loading a cargo container on the deck of a ship, the anchor fixtures 2 are removably coupled to the appropriate deck inserts 3. This is facilely accomplished by positioning the lower member 20 of each anchor fixture 2 fully into the enlarged oblong portion of each insert 3 to substantially prealign the shank with slot 38, and then moving the fixture towards the opposite end of the insert until a portion of the shank 21 abuts either the end 47 of the slot in top wall 36 or the end wall 33. In this position, the tongue and groove relationship formed between grooves 23-23 of the fixture and top wall 36 of the insert secures each fixture vertically to the support S. In addition, the construction prohibits upper body portion 7 from being rotated about its vertical axis since the diagonally opposite peripheral vertical surfaces of shank 21 would engage the peripheral sides of slot 38 upon any appreciable rotative movement of the fixture. With the top or end wall of each insert acting as a stop means for the shank 21, the fixtures are disposed in a fixed predetermined position relative to the support and assume a fixed plan contour or horizontal pattern similar to the horizontal undersurface contour of the container structure. That is, the upper body portion 7 of each fixture is adapted to be received in a cavity 48 of a tie-down casting 49 that is fixedly included in each bottom corner of the container structure.

As the container is lowered toward its respective tiedown position, each bottom corner casting 49 gathers over the upper body portion 7 to thereby guide the container into a correct seating relation with the uppersurface 12 of bearing plate 11. After the container is positioned on plate 11, the container functions as a connecting or spacing device between each pair of longitudinally spaced anchor fixtures to thereby prevent the disengagement of each fixture from its respective insert.

A further application of the invention is shown in FIG. 5 wherein an anchor fixture 60 described in U.S. Patent No. 3,125,965 is modified for removably coupling the fixture to the surface of the support 5.

Briefly, anchor fixture 60 is an L-shaped member defined by a long and short leg 61 and 62, respectively. Each leg provides two gathering surfaces 63 and 64 for guiding the container onto the surface of support 5. Coaxial openings 65 with conjoining recesses 66 in the fixture provide a means for receiving a locking key 67, portions of which cooperate with a bottom corner casting 68 of a container 69 to lock the container to the support 5.

Anchor fixture 60 is adapted to be removably coupled to the deck insert 3 by providing the addition of the lower member 20, which comprises the shank 21 and cross head 22, to undersurface 70 of the fixture. Shank 21 depends from the undersurface 70 generally in the area defined by the intersection of the legs 61 and 62 and extends, in its longitudinal lengthwise direction, parallel to the length of the key 67.

Anchor fixtures 2 and 60 cooperate with the deck insert 3 in a like manner to provide the necessary structure for anchoring a container to a support. It is to be noted, however, that the plan contour established by the inserts 3 varies with the design of the anchor fixture employed to secure the contained to the support. That is, the contour is dependent upon, at the normal position of the container on the support, the type of vertical overlapping relationship established between the upwardly projecting elements of the fixture and the bottom corner casting of the container. With the bottom corner casting as a reference, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, the overlapping relationship may be either internal or external relative to the corner casting.

What is claimed is:

1. In combinaiton with a cargo container anchor fixture having gathering means for guiding a container into seating relation with a support and comprising an upper body, an oblong-shaped shank in horizontal cross section depending therefrom, and an oblong-shaped cross head joined to the lower free end of the shank in spaced relation to the body with the major axes of the shank and cross head extending in the same direction; an insert adapted for attachment to an upwardly facing surface of the support for positioning the fixture and comprising:

(A) an elongated receptacle portion having a bottom wall and side and end walls projecting upwardly from the edges of said bottom wall to form a chamber therebetween; and

(B) a top wall affixed to the upper ends of said side and end walls providing a peripheral fiange extending outwardly beyond said side and end walls, said top wall having a slot with an enlarged oblong portion at one end disposed between said side walls and having its major axis in line with the longitudinal axis of said chamber, said oblong portion having its minor axis substantially corresponding in length to the transverse dimension between said side walls, said oblong portion being adapted to receive the oblong-shaped cross head of the fixture to prealign the shank with said slot during application of said fixture to said insert, and said slot being adapted to receive in slideable relationship said shank to thereby dispose the gathering means of the fixture in a fixed predetermined position relative to said insert.

2. Apparatus for anchoring a cargo container to a support and comprising:

(A) an insert adapted for attachment to the support and having a bottom wall and side and end walls projecting upwardly from the edges of said bottom wall to form a chamber therebetween, and a top wall affixed to the upper ends of said side and end walls, said top wall having a slot with an enlarged oblong portion at one end disposed between said side walls along the longitudinal axis of said chamber and stop means adjacent its other end, said oblong portion having a transverse dimension substantially corresponding to the transverse dimension between said side walls;

(B) an anchor fixture comprising an upper body having gathering means for guiding a container into seating relation with the support and a lower member adapted to interlock the fixture with said insert, said member extending through said slot and adapted to engage said stop means, said member depending from said body and comprising a shank receivable in said slot and an oblong-shaped cross head joined to the lower end of said shank in vertical spaced relation to said body, said cross head being of greater dimension than the slot in the transverse direction thereof so as to underlie said top wall when said shank is in said slot, said cross head being received through said oblong portion during application of said fixture to said insert, said oblong portion having its transverse dimension slightly greater than the oblongshaped cross head in the direction of its minor axis to substantially prealign said shank with said slot,

5 6 said shank being mova'ble into said slot to a position 2,786,428 3/ 1957 Arnold 105-369 in which said member engages said stop means, and 3,125,965 3/ 1964 De Penti et al 10S- 366 said shank having a length extending in the direction of the slot of greater dimension than the transverse FOREIGN PATENTS dimension of the slot to thereby dispose said gather- 5 12,166 5/1907 Great Britain. ing means in a fixed predetermined position relative to said insert. ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

References Cited FRANK DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 U'S. C]- XR. 2,051,381 8/1936` KVHII 105--369 X 248-119 

